(VENT!) And the alterations estimate is...

[dogmama]

A whopping $400-500!!!

After checking out multiple places this is the general range.

My sample gown was bought for $390!! So I''m having a huge cow over this. I''m even considering just buying a different gown that might not need such expensive alterations.

While I''m on that subject, I''m worried I pulled the trigger on the dress WAY too soon. I''m starting to feel worried that I made the wrong choice altogether...

Ugh. I hate this feeling. I''m not sure whether it''s the pricing that''s influencing me to this sudden insecurity over my choice. I tried it on again and it looks so pretty. I keep trying to reassure myself that I made the right choice. I have plenty of time to get another gown, worse come to worse, at a sample sale but I don''t want to spend any more money truth be told!

This whole wedding business is so expensive!! And it''s only one day...

 

[Sabine]

Wow, that does really stink. I understand that paying more for alterations than you did for the dress would make you rethink the dress, but if you were to buy another sample dress, unless it fit absolutely perfectly, chances are you''d be spending another $200 on alterations anyway, so if you add up the cost of the first dress, the cost of the second, and the cost of the alterations on the second, you might as well go ahead and get the first one altered if you love it. However, if you decide you don''t love it, then that''s another story. I think you need to try to ignore the cost of alterations and decide if the dress you have is the dress for you, and if so, just go for it! My dress isn''t complicated or lacy, and I''m still spending about $350 on alterations.

 

[anchor31]

Wow, I can believe how expensive your alterations are! I need the top taken in about an inch (I should have ordered the smaller size!), 2½ inches off the hem and a bustle and she''s charging me only 120$! My dress in fairly simple, but there is some beading and embroidery on the bust and a colored trim at the bottom which makes the work more complicated.

But don''t change your dress! It''s amazing and you got such a great deal. I can imagine how frustrating it is to pay more on the alterations than the dress itself, but at least you saved a ton on the dress.

 

[zoebartlett]

I agree with the Sabine and Anchor. My alterations are costing $335 -- cash only. I had to have a ton taken off the bottom, the bust taken in, and the sides let out a tad so I don''t suffocate while sitting. Spaghetti straps were also added to my otherwise strapless dress.

 

[Independent Gal]

Just call a few seamstresses and ask for an estimate for what needs to be done on an "evening gown". Don''t call it a bridal gown. See what happens.

Betcha it drops $100-200.

I had to get the zipper changed out on my Nicole Miller, and the same shop quoted 50% more when it was called a wedding gown than when it was referred to as an evening gown.

Anyone with experience working on evening gowns can do a wedding gown. Same thing. Just white.

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh yeah, and I had a LOT done to my Yearick gown... taken up, taken in, bustled, straps put on (took ''em off again though)... total cost: $130.

 

[LegacyGirl]

Date: 5/24/2008 10:54:21 AM
Author: Independent Gal
Just call a few seamstresses and ask for an estimate for what needs to be done on an ''evening gown''. Don''t call it a bridal gown. See what happens.

Betcha it drops $100-200.

I had to get the zipper changed out on my Nicole Miller, and the same shop quoted 50% more when it was called a wedding gown than when it was referred to as an evening gown.

Anyone with experience working on evening gowns can do a wedding gown. Same thing. Just white.

I love that idea!!! So what happens when you bring it in and they see it''s a wedding dress? I wonder if they''ll try to back peddle and charge you more.

 

[calidaisy]

i totally know how you feel--i was quoted $2500 to alter my dress at one place.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2500-for-dress-alteration.85175/

i haven''t done much since i wrote the post ... mainly because i have other major life issues to deal with ... but also because i''m kind of in denial that i would have $$$ to get my dress altered.

i thought about selling my dress and finding something else but considering that my wedding''s in september, i don''t want to go through the hassle of looking for a dress all over again (and trying to sell at the same time)

considering that your dress doesn''t have any beadings or lace that has to be moved ... i think you can definitely find someone who''ll alter it at a lower price. also, i think your dress is gorgeous and should have no problem selling it should you decide to do that.

however, another way you can think is that you bought your dress at $800 instead of $390. and if you decide not to keep your dress after the wedding, i''m sure you can sell it online and be able to recoup some (if not all) of the cost incurred.

 

[dogmama]

Date: 5/24/2008 8:04:28 PM
Author: calidaisy

i totally know how you feel--i was quoted $2500 to alter my dress at one place.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2500-for-dress-alteration.85175/

i haven''t done much since i wrote the post ... mainly because i have other major life issues to deal with ... but also because i''m kind of in denial that i would have $$$ to get my dress altered.

i thought about selling my dress and finding something else but considering that my wedding''s in september, i don''t want to go through the hassle of looking for a dress all over again (and trying to sell at the same time)

considering that your dress doesn''t have any beadings or lace that has to be moved ... i think you can definitely find someone who''ll alter it at a lower price. also, i think your dress is gorgeous and should have no problem selling it should you decide to do that.

however, another way you can think is that you bought your dress at $800 instead of $390. and if you decide not to keep your dress after the wedding, i''m sure you can sell it online and be able to recoup some (if not all) of the cost incurred.

I have been thinking about it as if I bought my dress at $800. It has made me feel less...cheated I guess. If I alter it, I don''t think I will be able to resell it. I intend to add more fabric to the sides coverage and then have it curve into the back for a more fluid look to the back but still keeping the back low. It wouldn''t be the original design. So that''s one big dilemma.

I think I may post a pre-alterations pic of me in it on PS and ask for opinions. My FI thinks its not very wedding dressy since he''s only ever seen white. I guess that is another part of my worry.

I''m trying my very best to stay positive about this whole dress thing. The last thing I want to do is become a bridezilla!! I just want to feel 100% about the dress before shipping it off for alterations.

 

[winston26]

Did you try any seamstresses that work out of their home? Anyone associated with a bridal shop is much more. I was quoted double at the shop; they were even trying to tack on a $50 rush fee which everyone tells me is ridiculous since I was still 8 weeks before my wedding.
Just make sure you find someone who frequently works on wedding gowns.

 

[dogmama]

Independent Gal tell me you live in NYC!! If you live in NYC let me know so I can come and steal your seamstress away.

There''s great seamstresses in NYC, but not many that are budget friendly. Since I''m on a strict budget I feel terrible for dropping half a thousand dollars to FIX something, essentially. It could have gone towards something else, like invitations!!

UGH!!

 

[Gypsy]

It's not white??? Honey DO NOT tell them its a wedding dress then!! Just tell them you are attending a formal function. If they get chatty, just get really vague! If you are doing design changes though, that could be a why the cost is high. But I would call around. I have an appointment with an alterations person for my dress, and I'm doing design changes too. She came very highly recommended on here and on the knot and on yelp... but I'm still budgeting up to 500 for alterations, just in case. I got a less expensive dress, cause I had a feeling I would be a picky sh*t about customizing it. I LOVE my gown though very much. But I also really love it's potential. If you love it, and love it's potential : alter it... for 300 your aren't going to find much to beat the price. But if you DON'T love it. I would see if you can find something else that you like that doesn't need all the alterations and just post it on ebay for a minimal amount-- anything you recover is money in the bank.

And definitely post pics. You know we're honest around here.

ETA: My alterations person works for herself too, out of her home. So that's one of the reasons everyone who recommended her said she was so reasonable!

 

[karasue91]

Lily, I just moved out of NYC and had the alterations on my first dress done by Ann Hamilton. I got her name from someone on the Knot, and she is a total sweetheart and an amazing seamstress. But, I paid $500 for a LOT of fixing (the skirt was tulle and it had to be all stretched out by hand because it had tons of pulls in it, she took the skirt completely off and shortened the bodice, took in the bodice quite a bit, and hemmed and bustled it). I don't know what you need done, but it might be worth a shot to take it to her? Her studio is an apartment in the West Village, and I know she's worked on a lot of sample dresses.

Both of the dresses I bought were samples. I thought buying a sample would allow me to buy a fabulous dress that I wouldn't normally be able to afford, but in the end it has cost me WAY more than if I had just bought my Melissa Sweet (the one I'll actually be wearing for the wedding) for full price!! It's really been frusterating, so I know how you feel, alterations were something I expected but I never expected the insane price of them..

Good luck!!

ETA: I thought getting the alterations on my MS would be way cheaper when I moved out of NYC. Nope. I paid another $350 to get this one altered too. It does have about a million layers of organza and silk but I definitely thought it would be way better in Calgary than NYC...

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 5/24/2008 10:12:37 PM
Author: lilythespitfire

I have been thinking about it as if I bought my dress at $800. It has made me feel less...cheated I guess. If I alter it, I don''t think I will be able to resell it. I intend to add more fabric to the sides coverage and then have it curve into the back for a more fluid look to the back but still keeping the back low. It wouldn''t be the original design. So that''s one big dilemma.

I think I may post a pre-alterations pic of me in it on PS and ask for opinions. My FI thinks its not very wedding dressy since he''s only ever seen white. I guess that is another part of my worry.

I''m trying my very best to stay positive about this whole dress thing. The last thing I want to do is become a bridezilla!! I just want to feel 100% about the dress before shipping it off for alterations.

If it helps, my dress is green and I wouldn''t have it any other way. I would love to see pics.

You may find someone to do it cheaper, and for what you paid for the dress I wouldn''t worry as much as with an expensive one, but adding fabric is much harder and more time consuming than making a dress smaller, so you are still unlikely to get it done as cheaply as some of the women on here.

 

[dogmama]

You guys are right (thank you voices of reason). My brother took the digital camera to Disneyland this weekend, so I''m out of technology. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

I''m petite, so I think the dress overwhelms me (or it could be that its a little big on me!). In anycase, I hope to post sometime this week. In terms of alterations, I think I may even have them make it less A-line and more fit and flare (but not mermaid or trumpet) so it doesn''t make me look swallowed up.

This weekend has been crazy--we''ve finally narrowed down two reception halls but they''re so similar and competitive that we''re having a really difficult time. So on top of the dress, I''m also going nuts over this! ^_^

 

[golden]

I have a completely different opinion on this-

You got a designer gown for pennies (compared to the original cost) and even with alterations, you are getting the dress at a steal!!! If it is not in your budget, that is a different story AND if you do not love the dress anymore, again that is a different story. But I think a designer gown with alteration for under $1,000. is an unbelievable deal.